Aotearoa is set to shiver this weekend after the warmest June and July on record.
A cold snap will rush across the country, bringing snow flurries and biting chills to much of New Zealand
NIWA meteorologist Ben Noll says it will bring snow to parts of the North Island that haven't seen it yet this winter.
"It will stand out as a weather event," he told The AM Show on Friday.
The change will begin on Saturday with colder temperatures creeping up the South Island.
Saturday night will be relatively mild for Auckland, with a few passing showers expected.
The real action will begin on Sunday with frigid winds across Canterbury and Marlborough moving towards the lower North Island
By Sunday evening, Kiwis could expect to see a dusting of snow across the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne Ranges at quite low elevations.
"And it's going to be a cold one for all of us," Noll says.
He added that climate change means these cold snaps will become less frequent as time passes - evident by the fact this June and July were the warmest on record - as was last year.
"So that's two in a row [that have broken records]. Climate change is shrinking the winter as we know it - there will be droughts earlier, less cold extremes and more warm extremes."
